Small-scale smoldering combustion experiments in microgravity

Abstract

Results from small-scale experiments of the smolder characteristics of a porous combustible material (flexible polyurethane foam) in microgravity and normal gravity are presented. The microgravity experiments were conducted in the Spacelab Glovebox on the USML-1 mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia, June/July 1992, and represent the first smolder experiments ever conducted under extended periods of microgravity. The use of the Glovebox limited the size of the fuel sample that could be tested and the power available for ignition but provided the opportunity to conduct such experiments in space. Four tests were conducted, varying the igniter geometry (axial and plate) and the convective environment (quiescent and forced). A series of comparative tests was also conducted in normal gravity. Measurements conducted included temperature histories at several locations along the fuel sample, video recording of the progress of the smolder, and postcombustion char and gas composition analyses. The results of the tests showed that smolder did not propagate without the assistance of the igniter, primarily because of heat losses from the reaction to the surrounding environment. In microgravity, the reduced heat losses caused by the absence of natural convection resulted in only slightly higher temperatures in the quiescent microgravity test than in normal gravity but a dramatically larger production of combustion products in all microgravity tests. Particularly significant is the proportionately larger amount of carbon monoxide and light organic compounds produced in microgravity, despite comparable temperatures and similar char patterns. This excessive production of fuel-rich combustion products may be a generic characteristic of smoldering polyurethane in microgravity, with an associated increase in the toxic hazard of smolder in spacecraft.